1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for lifting and/or moving bales of hay, preferably round bales of hay. More particularly, this invention relates to a device which can be attached to an existing vehicle to convert the latter into a bale lifter and/or mover.
2. The Prior Art
At the present time, farmers generally use forklifts and front-end loaders to lift and move round bales of hay. However, the front-end loader and/or forklift each constitutes an extra piece of equipment over and above the tractor which the farmer already has. The present invention constitutes an add-on or attachment to the tractor thereby obviating the need to buy or rent a front-end loader or forklift.
A preliminary search was conducted on the above invention and the following U.S. Patents were uncovered in the search:
______________________________________ Inventor U.S. Pat. No. Issue date ______________________________________ Martin 3,934,726 January 27, 1976 Cox 4,099,629 July 11, 1978 Jones et al. 4,120,405 October 17, 1978 Lynch 4,288,191 September 8, 1981 Buss 4,256,426 March 17, 1981 Barton et al. 4,299,522 November 10, 1981 Lynch 4,674,786 June 23, 1987 Yilit 4,306,825 December 22, 1981 ______________________________________
The Martin Patent discloses a bale carrier having a pair of tines 40 and 42 which are pivotally connected to a pipe 24. The tines will pierce a bale of hay adjacent the bottom and a hook 52 will engage the bale near the top to securely grasp the bale.
The Cox Patent shows a tapered support finger 12 which is adapted to pierce a bale of hay and then pivot upwardly to position the bale of hay in the rear of a truck.
The Jones et al Patent shows a spear-type device for impaling a bale of hay. The device can be attached to a front end loader or to a 3-point hitch.
The earlier Lynch Patent shows an impaling spear 21 which can be pivotally mounted on the rear end of a pickup truck.
The Buss Patent shows an impaling spear which is pivotally mounted on the front end of a tractor.
The Barton et al Patent shows a bale lifting device comprising a pair of parallel tines pivotally mounted to the forward end of a tractor.
The Yilit Patent shows a bale handling apparatus comprising a pair of parallel tines 33 and 34 pivotally mounted on a frame 20. The frame is adapted to be attached to a 3-point hitch on a tractor.
The later Lynch Patent shows a bale handling device having a larger spike 32 and a pair of auxiliary spikes 46, all mounted on a frame 10. The device is designed to be used with a conventional 3-point hitch.